My son obsesses over Minecraft. He plays the games, builds with the figurines, and wears Minecraft themed clothing. When he started reading the Minecraft books, I knew I wanted to…
Eye Spy Grammar
Play a grammar game with a fun take on “eye spy.” My kids frequently played the normal, “I spy with my little eye” game when they were younger. I could…
Teaching Test Prep with High School Students
Teaching test prep with high school students ~ some tips that work for me. I teach ACT prep classes through a community college. I travel to a variety of schools…
Public Education’s Beginnings
Similar to our country, public education’s beginnings were not fair or pretty in America. I’m currently reading Dana Goldstein’s book The Teacher Wars because I agree with Goldstein’s premise that understanding…
Children’s Books and Literary Terms
Do you have students who struggle with understanding literary terms? Approaching literary terms in a more familiar way may help. Combining children’s books and literary terms may be just the…
Children of Auschwitz
‘Children of Auschwitz’ is a free series that teachers can implement into discussions about the Holocaust. Tuesday is the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. None of our students…
Tired Teachers
Tired teacher? Why do those works go together so frequently? At one point when I taught full-time, I fell asleep with my head on my desk. It was the end…
Organizing Your Year as a Blogger
Organizing your year? Join me as a teacher who blogs! I am organizing myself and my year as a blogger. Too many times this past year, I would remember an…
Healthy Teacher Tips
Take a look at these (completely do-able) healthy teacher tips. Then, let us know what you have found helpful over the years. My first year of teaching, I ate like…
Interactive Notebooks for Grammar Studies
When I heard about interactive notebooks a few years ago, I immediately thought, fad. I dismissed them as the latest, in a long line of concepts in education that will change…